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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 7 2007, 11:02pm
Post #1 of 11
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Tolkien Illustrated: Ted Nasmith #14 – Conclusion
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Thank you for participating, reading and/or lurking this week!
In conclusion, I’ll leave you all with some random quotes by Ted from his website, and a few more paintings we haven’t seen as of yet.
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“Besides the traditional romantic illustrators and painters of the 19th and 20th centuries, impressions from cinema, light effects observed and/or photographed, as well as pictorial reference materials in my files or from the public libraries tend to help me realize the ideas in my mind’s eye.”
From the 2004 illustrated edition of The Silmarillion:
By Moonlight in Neldoreth Forest; Rolozo Tolkien
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“A sense of curiosity and wonder is what often moves me the most to inquire into a subject, and tantalizing mysteries of history or nature in particular provide great fascination for me.”
From the 2004 illustrated edition of The Silmarillion:
Queen Tar Miriel and the Great Wave; tednasmith.com
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“Several influences guide my sense of how best to portray Middle-earth and its peoples, creatures, and other aspects, both in general and as I conceive an individual setting or image”
From the 2004 Tolkien Calendar:
The Aid of the Wild Men; tednasmith.com
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“I have a deep inner conviction that I am capable of interpreting his words through my artwork with a high degree of integrity. There’s a strong desire in me to expand on his imaginary world through the medium of illustration.”
From the 1996 Tolkien Calendar:
Smith and the Queen of Faery; tednasmith.com
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“I frequently discover interesting visual subtexts and associations as I work which seem to reflect well the subject in question.”
From the 2004 illustrated edition of The Silmarillion:
Hurin finds Morwen; tednasmith.com
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“It’s safe to say that I’m still a long way from exhausting even the most interesting possibilities for Tolkien art. Nonetheless I’m proud of the amount of art that I’ve accomplished to date.”
Ted Nasmith; tednasmith.com
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the boards that are given to us"
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
TORn Calendar
(This post was edited by Altaira on Apr 8 2007, 2:18am)
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Apr 8 2007, 12:22am
Post #2 of 11
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I swiped the Rivendell picture to use as wallpaper on our computers (two at home and one at work). Uncle Baggins loves it as much as I do. It reminds me so much of places close to home, like Masonville, and Forest Canyon. I love following his path with the mouse, down the hillside, across the bridge, and up to the door of Elrond's house.
As I said in an earlier thread, I *love* Nasmith's landscapes, but his people often look odd to me, though sometimes he gets one right.
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
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Chance Meeting at Rivendell: a Tolkien Fanfic
and some other stuff I wrote...
leleni at hotmail dot com
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(This post was edited by Aunt Dora Baggins on Apr 8 2007, 12:24am)
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Beren IV
Gondor
Apr 8 2007, 5:22am
Post #3 of 11
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First off, thanks for leading discussion this week!
Now...
By Moonlight in Neldoreth - drawing a good Lúthien is hard, and I recognize that. The problem stems from her being supposedly the ideal of Elven beauty, or at least perfect by the standards of beauty. Humans are not Elves, at least not necessarily, but among Humans there certainly isn't any single ideal of beauty, even within an individual culture. As a result, getting a good Lúthien is really difficult. Nasmith opts out of the problem by giving us a back-view, risky enough even so. He does it well - although I would change the trees a bit.
No ginkgos, no dawn redwoods, no Araucaria... sniff.
Poor Miriel - at least she'll probably be killed instanty by the impact, or else ground into hamburger so quickly when the flank of the mountain fragments that she won't have time to feel any pain. The fall of Númenor has always been a little-bit iffy for me, although the primary reason for that is that I just can't accept Ilúvitar directly intervening in Arda, as it seems to destroy the whole point of the story. I like the image, here, though - Nasmith does manage to make that wave appropriately large in scale. The only thing is that in order for it to be truly as tall as I imagine that it must be, the crest of the wave would be freezing to ice because it's way cold up there!
The Woses - it's kinda interesting that the trees on the left are all flowering plants and the trees on the right are (almost) all conifers? What elevation are they supposed to be here? Gondor is explicitly described as having a Mediterranean climate. California, where I call home, also has a Mediterranean climate, and there are conifers in the coastal areas, but for the most part the trees are flowering plants until you get way high up into the Sierra Nevada. So are we in the foothils of the White Mountains? Where is the chapperal?
Húrin finds Morwen - not sure how to visualize this scene. I saw both of them with some white hair, but this really is a long way from Húrin's defiantly crying "Day shall come again!" as he slays troll after troll. Húrin's own character, and Morwen's, for that matter, seem to have changed at this time in the story, although the headstrong characteristic that their children have still sticks with them. Like any good curse, the accursed have personality traits that lead to the prophecied events occuring; it's not just dumb luck. Somehow, I don't see either of them as looking this decrepit at this point, though, old as they may be.
Once a paleontologist, now a botanist, will be a paleobotanist
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Apr 8 2007, 6:44am
Post #4 of 11
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Oo, a "Smith of Wootton Major" picture!
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Mind you, I don't much care for it, particular the Queen's face, but not having kept up with the calendars, I didn't know anything outside the legendarium was being illustrated.
Thanks, Altaira! Lots of fascinating images to think about this week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Tolkien Illustrated! Jan. 29-May 20: Visit the Reading Room to discuss art by John Howe, Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and others, including Tolkien himself.
Apr. 2-8: Ted Nasmith.
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OhioHobbit
Gondor
Apr 8 2007, 7:40pm
Post #5 of 11
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This has been most enjoyable. The nice thing about all of these discussions is that I get to see so much artwork that I would not see otherwise. Thanks again.
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Daughter of Nienna
Grey Havens
Apr 9 2007, 8:22am
Post #6 of 11
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What a wonderful week and a fantastic presentation. As they say in the art world... presentation is everything (or at least 90%). With poor presentation, the artwork is defeated. I envy your talent for paring things down.
Of these current images...I like "The Aid of the Wild Men" (content wise) Ghan-buri-Ghan (did I spell him right, no time left to look him up) seems wiser than men generally take him for.
I also like the concept of painting "Hurin finds Morwen". . .though perhaps the image could use another draft.
and: 'Queen Tar Miriel and the Great Wave' is an exhileratingly scary image...the rising sea looks realistic as thick deep ocean, and so do the harsh rocks.
Thank you so much for all your hard work.
Art Gallery Revised, my drawings,
Aloha & Mahalo, Websites Directory
Nienna: “ those who hearken to her learn pity, and endurance in hope . . . All those who wait in Mandos cry to her, for she brings strength to the spirit and turns sorrow to wisdom." — Valaquenta
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mae govannen
Tol Eressea
Apr 9 2007, 11:17am
Post #7 of 11
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Same from this late-comer who then mostly lurked... but loved it all!... /
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'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)
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Morwen
Rohan
Apr 10 2007, 12:24am
Post #8 of 11
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Not too many images of him out there, and I like this one very much. He looks primitive yet old and wise.
Thanks for a very enjoyable discussion, Altaira!
I wish you could have been there
When she opened up the door
And looked me in the face
Like she never did before
I felt about as welcome
As a Wal-Mart Superstore--John Prine
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Apr 10 2007, 2:31am
Post #9 of 11
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I'm almost overwhelmed with the amount of artwork here; as I've said before - that's one of the best things about these new boards, it's so much easier now to be able to return to "older" posts and enjoy them in one's freer time. 
Thank you so much for giving us this "tour" of Nasmith's works!
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"And when Sam heard that he laughed aloud for shear delight, and he stood up and cried: 'O great glory and splendour! And all my wishes have come true!'"
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Wynnie
Rohan
Apr 11 2007, 12:48am
Post #10 of 11
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Nasmith is one of my favorite Tolkien artists
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and I'm sorry to say that I haven't yet found time to read all the threads, let alone join in the discussions. But I did want to thank you, without further delay, for an interesting week and a beautiful collection of images.
Flight to the Ford
from LordofthePeeps.com
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Owlyross
Rohan
Apr 16 2007, 1:37pm
Post #11 of 11
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I've not been able to participate half as much as I'd wanted to, but it has been illuminating to read everyones' comments. Nasmith remains one of my favourite Tolkien artists and I'm beginning to think he illustrated the Silmarillion much better than the Lord of the Rings. Maybe this is because of my inability to put images to the Sil while the way LOTR is written invites visual imagery.
Anyway, thanks again.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
Benjamin Franklin
The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.
Horace Walpole (1717 - 1797)
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